Corning Hospital zeroes in on interim chief

Tuesday

Corning Hospital may have an interim president by the end of next week.

Corning Hospital may have an interim president by the end of next week.

Dave Iocco, president of the hospital's Board of Trustees, said Monday the process to find a replacement for Marilyn Custer-Mitchell is already under way.

Custer-Mitchell has been the president and CEO of Corning Hospital since 2005. She announced earlier this month she was resigning to become president of the Washburn County Hospital in Indiana. She starts in her new position Nov. 7.

Iocco said the hospital is using the same process that yielded Steve Grinnell. Grinnell took the helm as interim president and CEO in January 2005 when Tim Dentry left. He served until Custer-Mitchell took control of the hospital in May 2005.

While the search process will be the same, the needs of the hospital have changed dramatically in the last few years, Iocco said.

“Back then, we were in a turn-around situation,” Iocco said. “The hospital was losing money. Now it's doing well - business is increasing and we are planning for a new hospital. Things are very positive.”

Back in 2005, the hospital had posted a $12.3 million loss the previous year.

Iocco said having an interim rather than a permanent president should have no impact on the hospital's plans to construct a new facility. Hospital officials have previously said they will reveal the location of the new hospital in December.